


Thriller

by ladyofreylo



Category: Star Wars Sequel Trilogy, The Dead Don't Die (2019)
Genre: F/M, Halloween story, Michael Jackson - Freeform, Monster - Freeform, Night of the Living Dead, Not that scary, Officer Ronnie Peterson - Freeform, Thriller, different kind of love, the dead don't die - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-31
Updated: 2020-10-31
Packaged: 2021-03-08 04:55:38
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,267
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26550097
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ladyofreylo/pseuds/ladyofreylo
Summary: Officer Ronnie Peterson takes new girlfriend Rey Johnson out to see Night of the Living Dead on Halloween.  It seems like a typical date... but then, it's Halloween and nothing is as it seemssssss.  MUHAHAHAHAHA.
Relationships: Rey/Ben Solo | Kylo Ren, Ronnie Peterson/Rey
Comments: 20
Kudos: 45
Collections: Reylo Readers & Writers - The Spooktacular Collection





	Thriller

**Author's Note:**

> Full gorgeous moodboard by Lena|bensoloswhore at the end of this story. I took a snip of it for the front, but the whole thing is so beautiful. Take a look.

“I hope you like thrillers.” Ronnie looked over at Rey, who was stuffed into the front seat of a tiny red smart car. Ronnie was the biggest man with the smallest car—and the engine was turbo-charged to sound like a damn spaceship. Rey had to laugh. She liked Officer Ron Peterson so very much.

Rey nodded. “Sure,” she agreed. “After all, it is Halloween.”

“Yeah, that’s true.” He pushed his glasses up farther on his nose. “Thanks for coming out tonight.” He looked over at her.

Rey smiled at him. He looked so earnest and concerned.

Rey didn’t know Ronnie all that well. It was only their third date. She’d met him through her friend, Fern, who worked at the diner where Ronnie stopped for coffee. Rey sometimes ate dinner there on nights when she was on desk late at the Centerville library.

Ronnie was tall and cute with geeky glasses. He looked good in his uniform while drinking his black coffee and chatting with Chief Robertson. Rey said yes immediately when he’d asked her out for drinks. Then they’d enjoyed a fun autumn picnic at the local apple orchard.

Tonight, Ronnie was taking Rey to the movies in his goofy little car.

<>

They pulled up in the parking lot of the theater. The night was brisk with an almost full moon hanging low in the sky. The leaves rustled in the slight breeze and a few drifted down as Ronnie and Rey walked into the theater, hand in hand.

They were the only two people in the theater. Everyone else must have been out trick or treating.

Rey sat down in the dead center of the theater right next to her tall date. He put the bucket of popcorn between them and smiled at her. 

“I love these zombie films.” He scooped a handful of popcorn to crunch. He tossed kernels into the air and caught them in his mouth as they fell.

“Shoot,” he said when he missed. He bent down to pick up the strays and stacked them neatly on a napkin.

Rey laughed. “Bill cleans up the theater at night. He has to sweep the floor anyway.”

Ronnie held up a hand. “It’s better to clean up after oneself, in my opinion, and not leave debris behind.”

She couldn’t argue with that statement. “Spoken like an officer of the law. Never leave behind evidence of your crime.”

“I’m glad dropping popcorn isn’t a real crime,” Ronnie mused. He gave Rey the side eye. “I’d have to arrest myself.”

Rey laughed at his silly joke and took a sip of her drink. “I’m glad we’re seeing _Night of the Living Dead_ tonight. It’s a classic.”

“Not afraid of zombies?” Ronnie watched Rey eat a couple of kernels.

“Nope,” Rey said. “Zombies are fun. I once went to a Zombie Fest in Pittsburgh. There was a costume parade, zombie food tents, movies, and even a play. It was hilarious.”

“Did you dress up?”

“Yeah, I went as a zombie desert rat with goggles and a headwrap. Less makeup that way.”

Ronnie crunched another handful of kernels. “I wonder what you would’ve done if they had all been real zombies.”

Rey laughed and tucked her fingers in the popcorn. “Shit myself? Fortunately, they weren’t—only cosplayers. There are no real zombies, Ronnie-bear.”

Ronnie smiled as the movie began.

<>

The popcorn bucket sat forgotten next to Rey as the film progressed. Ronnie put his arm around Rey’s shoulders. She didn’t object. He was such a sweetheart, a strong, handsome man with a solid job. Not too many of those kinds of men in town these days. Everyone seemed to move away as soon as they graduated from high school, looking for more prosperous places to live. Rey liked the fact that Ronnie seemed content with small town life. He had come back home after attending the police academy and immediately began working at the Centerville police department.

When Ronnie asked her out, Rey started to imagine a life with him. She thought about him working all day and coming home in the evening to eat dinner and watch TV on the couch with her. She thought about how on Saturdays, he would mow the lawn, rake leaves, and mend the window screens, maybe help her put in a garden or paint the wooden fence in their backyard. They would have date nights every week, eat dinner at the new club out on Highway 10, then come home and make love in their big comfortable bed. Rey knew she would enjoy that part.

Rey was glad Ronnie had casually dropped his arm around her. She snuggled in closer and decided to jump a little at the scarier parts. He would protect her. She hid her face in his soft sweater and smiled into his chest when he pulled her closer to him. She turned her face up to look into his eyes. They shone amber in the light of the film—perhaps reflected off his lenses. Rey couldn’t look away.

Ronnie touched her cheek with his long fingers and slipped his hand down to her neck, thumb resting on her jaw. Rey gazed into his face. She wanted him to kiss her with his soft, plush lips.

He did. His mouth tasted of salt and a hint of butter. Rey made a small noise in her throat when his tongue met hers. Her tongue pushed into his mouth to taste him better.

His teeth tested her tongue, biting gently on it. Then Ronnie bit down a little harder. Rey withdrew her tongue from his mouth. He nuzzled in to nip at her bottom lip with sharp teeth and pull it outward to suck. Rey gasped a little at his bold moves. Ronnie covered her mouth fully with his and pushed his tongue between her lips with a growl. She was being devoured.

Rey drew back to look at Ronnie. She never suspected he’d be so bold and demanding.

“Ron,” she gasped.

“Sorry.” He raked a hand through his hair. “I got carried away. It’s been a while for me.”

“Okay,” she said. “I like kissing, but maybe not so rough.”

“Sure,” Ronnie said. “Absolutely. Sorry.”

He leaned in and gave her a soft, gentle kiss. “Better?”

“Yes,” she said. And took a deep breath. She rested her head on his shoulder again.

They watched the end of the movie.

<>

As Rey rode home with Ronnie, she contemplated inviting him in. He had been a gentleman when she asked him to calm down. Maybe it would be all right to have a nightcap and chat more about the movie. She hated to have the evening end so quickly.

Ronnie stared at her when she asked him in. “Are you sure? I’m really sorry about…” He waved his hand.

“I’m sure,” Rey said warmly. “You’re a good guy. I wasn’t prepared for your enthusiasm. Maybe we just have a drink and chat.”

“Of course,” Ronnie said. “Good idea. I want to see you again, Rey. I like you.”

Rey took his hand and squeezed it. “I like you, too.” She leaned over and kissed him.

He accepted it with his soft lips closed.

Rey let Ronnie inside her house and sat him on her couch while she poured them glasses of ruby red Zinfandel. They toasted to zombies and Halloween.

“Blood red wine for Halloween,” Ronnie mused, rolling the liquid around in his glass. “Beautiful.”

Rey smiled and took a sip. “I do try to savor the season.”

“So do I,” Ronnie said softly.

They spoke of their favorite parts of the film and Rey found herself listening to Ronnie talk about zombie movies in general. He seemed as knowledgeable as Bobby over at the gas station.

She drifted.

<>

Rey suddenly opened her eyes and looked around. Ronnie was gone. His glass of wine sat on her coffee table alongside hers. But he was nowhere to be seen.

Rey felt a little thrill go down her spine. She heard something outside her window. She ran to it to look outside. Nothing.

No sound.

She returned to the couch to pick up her glass and heard it again. Her name. A moan.

A small scratch at the door. Her name.

A soft baritone whisper: _I love you, Rey_. Another scratch. Someone’s nails.

She stood, indecisive, in front of the door. “Yes,” she breathed. “What is it?”

No one answered.

Rey took a step closer and grabbed the round doorknob. Some instinct told her not to open the door. She hesitated.

The whisper again: _I will marry you, Rey. We will be together. Let me be your lover_.

Rey threw the door wide open with a sudden burst of energy.

No one was standing on the other side.

Rey slowly stepped out on the porch. “Uh, Ronnie?”

The wind sighed in the trees and leaves drifted down to the ground. They crackled in the distance as if someone was moving, walking slowly through them, dragging, maybe shuffling.

In the distance, a tall figure was outlined in moonlight. He walked slowly, deliberately, toward her, slipping his feet along the downed, crunchy leaves.

Rey took a step off the porch to see if it was Ronnie. She was sure it was, though he didn’t walk with his usual bold stride.

Rey took a breath to call to him.

And, in the space of a blink, he appeared in front of her, holding her shoulders with two impossibly strong hands.

Ronnie—but not Ronnie.

His eyes, so different and wrong, gleaming amber. His glasses gone.

Hair wavy and tousled. Lips reddened and full, skin almost gray in the moonlight.

Rey stepped back as his wild tawny eyes raked her.

“I love you,” he rasped. “Rey, my Rey. You are mine.”

He kept her from moving too far away from him. He tugged her close and pulled her into a bridal carry. Rey tried to scream but couldn’t make a sound. She screamed inside her head and beat on Ronnie with her fists.

He paid her no mind and shuffled into the house.

He laid her on the couch and fell on top of her with glistening lips and shining eyes.

“I will devour you, my Rey.”

He dipped his head and caught her lips with his. She pushed his shoulders for a panicked moment. But then a soft warmth crept into her veins and she wrapped her arms around him instead.

“My Ronnie,” she murmured as she kissed him back. He tasted like fresh rain and her nose filled with his rich earthy scent. She did not mind his devouring mouth. She did not mind being his.

Rey threaded her hands through his hair as he moved down to kiss her throat. His teeth took a small nip and Rey sighed. 

“Yes,” she said.

<>

“Yes, what? Rey, are you all right?”

Rey opened her eyes. “Ronnie?” She was lying on her back on the couch. Ronnie sat next to her. He was looking a little worried.

“I think you fell asleep. I asked if you wanted me to leave. You said yes.” Ronnie peered at her through his glasses, his eyes their usual whiskey brown. “I guess I should. It’s getting late.”

Rey sat up quickly. “No, it’s okay. I was dreaming. About… well, it’s silly.” She grabbed her wine glass and swallowed the rest of the liquid. “Holy shit.”

Ronnie looked at her. “Care to share?”

Rey sucked it a breath. “It’s so crazy.” She shivered and hugged herself.

He shrugged. “I’m okay with crazy. You seemed a little scared. Maybe it would help to talk about it.”

Rey searched Ronnie’s face for any sign of judgment or revulsion. He was a straightforward, solid kind of guy, not given to flights of fancy. But he might get a kick out her goofy dream.

“Okay, you can laugh if you want to. In my dream, you were a zombie,” Rey said. “You came to my door and scooped me up in your arms. We ended up lying together on this couch. I think you were going to bite me.” She threw him a sheepish look. “As I said, crazy.”

He didn’t move a muscle. She had no idea what he was thinking.

“But don’t get me wrong, Ronnie. I was a little scared—or maybe a lot scared—at first. But then…” she gulped. “Because it was you, I felt safe. And I… I kind of liked it. You were kissing me like you did earlier and then you bit my neck.” The feelings of desire suffused Rey and she felt the warmth of Ronnie’s lips and hands again, though he hadn’t touched her.

“Hmm,” he said softly. “Sounds like a good dream, ultimately.”

Rey nodded. “I suppose it was. It turned out that way anyway.” Rey blushed a little, thinking about whether she and Ronnie should take their relationship to the next level soon. The dream had been almost an erotic fantasy.

She gazed at him. Ronnie opened his arms to her, and she cuddled next to him. He wrapped her up in his strong arms.

“I’m glad you think so, my Rey.” His voice sounded deep and rich in her ear. Rey breathed in his scent of fresh rain and warm, moist earth.

And when she turned her face to kiss him, she saw his eyes.

Amber.

His lips.

Reddened.

Hair tousled and skin almost gray.

“I love you, my Rey. I will make you mine,” he whispered as he lowered his head to her neck.

She opened her mouth to scream.

**Author's Note:**


End file.
